A number of scientific role models in this morning's Web news cruising, plus some hints of economic recovery along with harbingers of doom.

• In the world of science, women researchers spend a lot more time than men thinking about the role model they offer for the next generation. Kim Hannula, a geologist in Durango, has a great post musing about what that means when she's knocking around out in the field or in town talking to the next generation. (And congrats, Kim, for the move to Scienceblogs!)
• One of the most important things my favorite science role models have to offer is exuberance. Kim has it, and so does my friend Mark Boslough. Science is a great adventure, and Boslough gets that, which is one of the reason his work features so often in my newspaper stories. He does cool work, and his enthusiasm leaks out and into my stories, as today's about asteroid hunting I hope illustrates.
• Switching to the economy, we've got an awfully gloomy look at the poorer quadrant of the world, and the suffering now that we in the rich world are buying so much less stuff. Case stud: Zambia's copper belt, where when mines close people go hungry.
• Here at home, there are early signs that wind and solar are beginning to rebound.
• U.S. fuel consumption seems to be starting to rise, according to Bloomberg (the U.S. fuel bit is down a ways in that story), another indicator (maybe) that things are turning around economically.
• And finally, some metanews. Matt Reichbach offers has an interesting look at some of the web reporting on last weekend's dramatic end to SunCal's tax scheme in the New Mexico legislature. It's an interesting comparison between what you get from anonymous-source blogging (Monahan) and what happens when reporters are really on the scene asking questions (Marjorie Childress at the New Mexico Independent). Note that this is not an attempt to pit MSM v. new media. NMI is new media, but this is an example of new media done right.